Since my purchase in december 2003 of a used toyota camry xle, six cylinder (VIN [xxx] , there have been three (3) instances of unintended acceleration. Twice I was behind the wheel; once my wife was. In each case, circumstances were similar: the car was idling in neutral or park; the driver put his/her foot on the brake and shifted into drive; virtually simultaneously the engine accelerated rapidly. In each case the driver's foot on the brake prevented the car from moving forward with any speed, but it was necessary to press hard on the brake -- and even with that in at least one instance the car strained and bucked. The situations were resolved when the driver shifted. In two instances the shift was into park and the vehicle then stalled in each case. I do not recall clearly whether the shift in the third instance was into park or neutral or whether the vehicle stalled. We were at the time exiting a gas station and merging into traffic. In no instance was there a problem with the mat and in no case was the driver's foot on the accelerator. Rather the right foot was in each case on the brake. The approximate dates of the instances were fall 2006, june 2009, and september 2009. The first instance was reported to oaklawn toyota, oaklawn, illinois; the second to toyota south, richmond, kentucky. Each was the then servicing dealer with toyota south also the dealer from whom the car was purchased. Neither dealer could find anything wrong with the car. The third instance was not reported. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
2002 Toyota Camry acceleration complaints
Page 4 of 11: complaints 71 to 100 of 281, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. While driving at speeds of 60 MPH in clear weather conditions, he placed his foot on the brake pedal and the vehicle abnormally accelerated. He was unable to maintain control of the unintended acceleration as the vehicle persisted to crash into another vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. The current and failure mileages were 112377 5/10/2010*cw updated 05/14/10.
I was rear-ended on the highway while driving my 2002 toyota camry. When I tried to slow down and move into the breakdown lane, the car accelerated. I ended up going down an embankment hitting several trees. The car was eventually spun around and crashed rear end into a tree. The car was totaled. My passenger and I experienced concussion syndrome along with muscle spasms in the neck, back, and ankle. We were taken by ambulance to the new britain general hospital where we were treated and released . We are both receiving follow-up medical care.
The metropolitan police department investigated an automobile accident that involved a 2002 toyota camry w/ a v6 and cruise control. The operator claims the vehicle accelerated without pedal application causing the crash. He struck several trees and rolled over. If you have any questions or need more information, please call me at [xxx] . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. While the contact was driving 5 MPH and attempting to make a turn the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning, the contact was able to stop the acceleration by applying extreme pressure to the brakes. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer and there were no prior warnings. The failure mileage was 20000 and the current mileage was 28000. Updated 4/26/10 *cn the consumer stated when she pulled forward from her parking space, and turned left the vehicle suddenly accelerated. She stated she braked hard and was finally able to get the vehicle to slow down gradually. Updated 06/01/10.
The car suddenly accelerated forward while pulling into the driveway and crashed through the garage door crashing into a refrigerator. The crash also damaged a sewer line and many other items in the garage. The garage door was destroyed. Damage to the car was more then $5000 and property damage close to that. There were no injuries to people. There had been no acceleration issues with this car before this. We believe it may have had something to do with the sudden acceleration problems that some toyota's have been having. Crash repairs to the car and the house have been completed but nothing regarding the possible acceleration issue since the 2002 camry has not been recalled.
Engine racing in 2002 toyota camry.
This is my second event and complaint concerning a sudden acceleration incident with my 2002 toyota camry. Please reference my first complaint odi #10312684. Today (3/8/2010) while pulling up to my mailbox my camry lurched forward at a high rate of speed. My foot was not on the accelerator pedal when this happened. It was on the brake pedal because I was stopping at my mailbox when this occurred. I immediately applied all of my body weight on the brake pedal and was able to stop the car after about 10 - 12 feet. Upon stopping I immediately placed the gearshift in park and turned the key off.
Twice on start-up I had the engine race, sounding like a jet revving up. Last time was as I parked in the garage after using the car it revved up sounding again like a jet starting up. I thought someone or some thing had come up behind me in driveway. Dates were approximately oct. 2008 and nov. 2009. Car has under 45,000 actual miles on it.
Sudden acceleration while backing out of driveway. Brought under control by intensive braking at the time it was thought to be an isolated incident - so no remedy was sought aprox. 5 MPH. 9-26-08 sudden acceleration and brake failure when pulling out of gas station and making right hand turn within 100 feet of gas station-finally under control within 12" of home aprox. 15 MPH. Diagnosis - ABS sensor failure complete braking system replaced. 5-21-09 sudden acceleration and brake failure while trying to slow down from 5 MPH resulting in citation by ma state police for driving 87 MPH. Court records available (I've never had a citation ever in 45 years of driving.) 8-31-09 sudden acceleration & brake failure aprox 15 MPH. Brake failure - completely new brake system installed. Toyota doesn't return calls. Dealership says it's not on recall list so they refer me to toyota. I have less than 59,000 miles on this car it is a 2002. We do not drive it much since the second incident on 9-26-08. Updated 04/28/10.
While entering a parking stall our perfectly maintained 2002 toyota camry seemed to go full-throttle and tossed us over a curb, a sidewalk, under a steel handrail, and down a 15 ft rockery, just missing trees and a building..totaling our car. We walked away sore and shaken, but uninjured. The investigating officer's report states "rear tires leaving visible drag marks on the sidewalk" indicating the brakes were engaged. This sidewalk is attached to the curb so the brakes were engaged during the entire incident. The car was totaled, and $3800.00 damage was done to the apartment complex property.
1. The was no prior notice of defect. 2. The fuel pedal assembly failed generating a check engine light, and the car became unable to drive safely. The car became very erratic and would not operate unless running over 20 MPH. *tr 3. The car was taken to the dealer where the fuel pedal assembly was found defective and replaced. Updated 01/06/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. While the contact was driving 30mph ,the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate without warning causing the vehicle to crash into an embankment and flipped over on top of its hood. No one was injured during the crash. A police report was filed for the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 152000. Updated 4/22/10 *cn updated 08/11/10
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. On april 1, 2004 the contact was involved in an accident. While pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle surged forward, then backwards landing on top of another vehicle. The contact was injured. A police report was filed. The contact spoke with the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The manufacturer stated the contact stepped on the incorrect pedal. The contact stated the vehicle was destroyed. Updated 5/17/2010 * cn the consumer stated when the vehicle accelerated out of control, it kept going around in a circle in reverse even with her foot on the brake. The trunk of her vehicle landed n top of another vehicle when it finally stopped. Updated 09/16/10
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 toyota camry. The contact stated that his daughter was driving the vehicle and suddenly it went out of control. The vehicle went off the road, into a ditch and then overturned. She was killed due to the accident and the vehicle was totaled. The state trooper made a report but no one could figure out why the brakes were not applied or what the cause for the accident was. The contact had not spoken with the dealer or the manufacturer to-date. The contact stated that the current and failure mileages were 40,000. Updated 04/15/10. *lj updated 05/19/10 *bf the deceased struck a tree and then overturned. Updated 05/20/10.*jb updated 09/30/10*jb updated 9/29/2011
While I was pulling my 2002 toyota camry into my driveway with foot on brake pedal (and brake lights on- my neighbor witnessed), the car surged forward despite me trying to jam brake even harder. This resulted in me crashing into my house and partly damaging the wall and garage. The impact was high enough to shift the stucco off the foundation. Surprisingly, the airbag did not go off. The impact dented the front fenders of my car quite badly though. In 8 years of driving this car, I have never experienced such surge in acceleration in such short distance (my driveway is about 20ft max). I turned off the ignition at the same time the impact occurred, which stopped the car. I have filed a complaint w/ toyota.
2002 camry driver experienced sudden unintended acceleration through stop sign(s) into yard and concrete barrier, resulting in property damage and death. Updated 05/10/10 *bf *tr updated ivoq 08/26/10 updated 9/29/11
1992 toyota camry would not go into gear. *kb the consumer stated he had to push the shift lock override button to get the gears to work. While driving on a 4 lane road, with the cruise control activated, the consumer came upon a red light with cars stopped. He touched the brakes to deactivate the cruise, but instead the engine revved up. The harder he pushed the brakes the faster the engine ran. He finally pushed the cruise button on the stalk and the vehicle was under control. The dealer found the brake light switch had an open circuit.
2002 camry le was parked in large mall parking lot. When started and put into drive, car began to accelerate as I pressed the accelerator pedal. As I applied the brake, the car continued rapidly accelerating by itself even though my foot was off the pedal. Brakes did not function at all; car continued to increase speed. I downshifted to neutral and car suddenly stopped with a jolt. I drove the car to local toyota dealer where it was tested. Result:"could not duplicate concern. Vehicle operating as designed." this happened only once. Car now has 51,000 miles on it.
My 2002 camry 4 cylinder experienced a speed control problem a couple years ago. I was able to get to the dealer and have repairs made without any accident, however. The problem required replacement of the accelerator pedal sensor at a cost of $567 to me.. *tr invoices received. Updated ivoq 02/16/11
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. While parking the vehicle at approximately 2 MPH. The vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and lunged forward. The driver was able to stop the vehicle. The identical failure occurred on a separate occasion. The driver floor mat was removed before the failure occurrence. The failure and current mileages were 150,000. The consumer stated is seemed the vehicle accelerated more, each time he applied the brake harder eventually, the vehicle did slow down and returned to normal operation. Updated 03/29/10
2002 toyota camry se v6 - around september 2009 I began to notice sudden surges in acceleration while driving between 40-45 MPH. Without changing the position of the gas pedal, the vehicle would surge-hesitate-surge several times then suddenly stop the behavior. Since then, I notice it occurs at least once every 3 out of 4 times I'm driving the car. To me, this is not related to anything on the floor or the gas pedal itself. It appears to come from within the engine or other component. No repairs have been investigated or performed. I am considering a visit to the dealer.
I was using the cruise control, set at 70 MPH, on an aprox 4 hour trip. At one point the car accelerated to a little over 90 MPH then decreased it's speed back down to where it was. I turned the cruise control off and drove manually the rest of the way home. The next time I had it at the dealer for service I mentioned this and they shrugged it off saying they hadn't heard of anything like this happening. I have not had the problem again.
2002 toyota camry delayed acceleration*cw the consumer stated the problem was delayed acceleration when the pedal was depressed. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and was told at the time, the problem was due to the vehicle's computer program and there was nothing they could do. *jb updated 03/08/10
Letter request status of his two petitions re sudden unintended accelerations in his 2002 camry xle; ref es05-006490 was due 11/28/05 and es05-007354 was due 12/27/05 both assigned to nvs-200. *tgw the consumer had an accident as result of sudden acceleration. When the consumer put the gear into reverse, while on a residential driveway with his foot on the brake, the vehicle then accelerated at an extraordinary and increased rate, turned around and ended up on an adjacent driveway crashing into a utility box. The seat belt prevented the consumer from being injured.
S10 appropriate handling fwd email re toyota recent recall notices, owner of a 2002 camry experienced sudden acceleration and would like the federal safety agency press release to reflect that my not listed in the toyota recall notice may experience similar problems.
We purchased a new 2002 toyota camry 7-16-02 and the accelerator surged while backing out of the driveway 11-9-02 causing it to strike another parked vehicle and stopped 6 inches from striking a house. The total damage was almost $10,000. We told the toyota dealership and they said it had to be an operator error because they never heard of another acceleration problem. The dealer never offered to do a diagnostic check and they told us to go to a dealer closer to our home if it happened again. In 2004 we read an article about sudden acceleration problems with the camry and lexus vehicles. We looked on the federal safety agency web site and under speed control complaints we saw a complaint of a 2002 or 2003 camry accident exactly like the one we experienced. We sent a letter to toyota inc. 4-18-04 at p.o. Box 2991 in torrance, ca 90509 and toyota never responded back. We never experienced sudden acceleration in the 2002 camry again and eventually sold it. We have a copy of the toyota letter. There was a neighbor that witnessed the accident and said the camry made a loud acceleration noise. My wife put both feet on the brakes to bring it to a stop.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry purchased brand new. While traveling at speeds of 50 MPH, she switch lanes to avoid a construction area. The vehicle then abnormally accelerated without warning or driver intent. She attempted to depress the brakes, however the brakes were not responsive to driver input. She also attempted to maintain control of the vehicle but the steering wheel was also non-responsive and the vehicle continued to accelerate in and out of traffic. The vehicle then swayed to the left and crashed through a metal guard rail. The contact was hospitalized and suffered neck injuries .the she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Cause of the failure was inconclusive vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 2700. Updated 4/13/10 *cn updated 05/10/10
Tl*the contact owned a 2002 toyota camry le. While driving 60 MPH the vehicle accelerated, swerved to the side and he engaged the brake pedal. The contact crashed into the median and became unconscious. The vehicle also rolled over multiple times. The contact was hospitalized for several weeks and sustained multiple injuries. The contacts injuries have confined him to a wheelchair for several months. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact has not notified the manufacturer. The insurance company was contacted immediately. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 74,000.
Tl*the contact owned a 2002 toyota camry. While driving on the highway at 50 MPH, the driver stated that she switched lanes and the accelerator pedal became stuck and accelerated on its own. The vehicle made a u-turn on its own and the driver crashed into 2 guard rails. The vehicle was destroyed. The driver was also injured and taken by ambulance to the hospital. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 2,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Toyota Camry?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history